Defense attorneys say an Army general has agreed to a plea deal that includes the dropping of sexual assault charges against him.

A news release Sunday from lawyers representing Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Sinclair says that he will plead to lesser charges in exchange for having the sexual assault charges dropped along with two others that might have required Sinclair to register as a sex offender.

The news release says the agreement has been approved and signed by a high-ranking general overseeing the case. It says Sinclair will plead guilty to several other charges.

New deal: Army Brigadier General Jeffrey Sinclair leaves the courthouse at Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, North Carolina last week. A captain, whose sexual-assault allegations against General Sinclair made him the focus of a rare court-martial for a high-ranking officer has had a plea deal accepted

Defense attorney Richard Scheff says in the news release that Sinclair is admitting to his mistakes and that it's time to put the matter to rest.

Sinclair was accused of twice forcing a female captain to perform oral sex on him during a three-year extramarital affair.

The judge in case Colnel James Pohl had last week declined to dismiss the charges outright. But he reviewed newly disclosed emails in Sinclair's case and said he found the appearance of 'unlawful command influence' in Fort Bragg officials' decision to reject a plea bargain with the general in January.

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The twist came with the Pentagon under heavy pressure from Congress and beyond to combat rape and other sex crimes in the military.

Under the military code of justice, the decision was supposed to be decided solely on the evidence, not its broader political implications.

But Pohl said the emails showed that the military officials who rejected the plea bargain had discussed a letter from the accuser's lawyer.

Charges changed: Lawyers representing Sinclair said that he will plead to lesser charges in exchange for having the sexual assault charges dropped along with two others that might have required Sinclair to register as a sex offender

The letter warned that allowing the general to avoid trial would 'send the wrong signal.'

Sinclair, 51 and the former deputy commander of the 82nd Airborne Division, was accused of twice forcing a female captain to perform oral sex on him in Afghanistan in 2011 during a three-year extramarital

He has admitted to the affair but denied assaulting the woman.

The defense has portrayed the woman as a liar who concocted the allegations after she saw emails between Sinclair and another woman.

Sinclair is believed to be the highest-ranking U.S. military officer court-martialed on sexual assault charges.

The general’s punishment will not be determined until a judge finishes holding the sentencing hearing.

Prosecutors are expected to argue for prison time, while defense lawyers will contend that officers in similar cases have not faced jail time and have been allowed to retire at reduced rank.

Accused: Sinclair, a 51-year-old married father of two, is accused of twice forcing oral sex during a three-year affair he admitted to having with a junior female officer, including during deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan

As one example, they cite the recent case of an Army brigadier general who lost his command and paid a $5,000 fine but was allowed to keep his rank after it was determined he had assaulted a girlfriend and committed adultery.

Had prosecutors proceeded with the sexual assault charges, General Sinclair would have faced the possibility of life in prison and permanent registration as a sex offender if convicted.

Defense lawyers also say General Sinclair is willing to retire as a lieutenant colonel — two rungs below his current rank, and the last at which no illegal acts are alleged to have occurred — which would probably cost him more than $1 million in total retirement pay.

Lead defense attorney Richard Scheff said Sinclair would not agree to plead guilty to any charges involving sexual assault or any charges that would result in his being required to register as a sex offender.

'He did not sexually assault anybody,' Scheff said. 'He did not threaten anybody. He's not maltreated anybody. We'd love to resolve the case. But if we can't, we look forward to our day in court and his vindication.'

Adulterer: General Jeffrey Sinclair pleaded guilty yo committing adultery, which is a crime in the military

General Sinclair pleaded guilty
earlier this month to charges that included adultery, requesting
explicit photographs from female Army officers, possessing pornography
in a combat theater and seeking a date with a lieutenant.

The
new guilty pleas expected to be entered Monday include disobeying a
commander’s order not to contact his mistress, using demeaning language
to refer to female officers and using a curse word when confronted about
that conduct, and misusing his government travel charge card.

Even
though the defense team appeared optimistic it could reach a deal,
Scheff said it might still be weeks before the case is resolved. It is
now likely to happen far sooner.

In
December, Sinclair had offered to plead guilty to some of the lesser
charges in exchange for the Army dropping the sexual assault charges,
but he was turned down.

Sinclair's
plea offer was discussed in emails among a high-ranking
Washington-based Army lawyer, the prosecutors and the commanding general
overseeing the case.

The judge said he doesn't think the whole case was tainted, just the decision on a plea agreement.

The
judge also criticized prosecutors for not giving defense lawyers the
emails sooner: 'The only reason we are in this conundrum is because of
the government's late notice.'

Rising star: Sinclair was once considered a rising star amongst military brass. His career is now likely to be over

Last
week, Sinclair pleaded guilty to three lesser charges involving
adultery with the captain and improper relationships with two other
female Army officers.

Those
charges could bring 15 years in prison. A trial then began on the
remaining sexual assault charges, with a potential sentence of life in
prison.

Sinclair's accuser
came out against a plea bargain on the sexual assault charges in a
December letter sent by her attorney, Capt. Cassie L. Fowler. Fowler
suggested that the proposal deal would 'have an adverse effect on my
client and the Army's fight against sexual assault.'

'Acceptance
of this plea would send the wrong signal to those senior commanders who
would prey on their subordinates by using their rank and position,
thereby ensuring there will be other victims like my client in the
future,' Fowler wrote.

Stand by your man: Sinclair's wife has stood with him throughout the many allegations of sexual wrongdoing

Though
prosecutors deny any consideration was given to Fowler's comments about
the potential fallout, the emails turned over to the defense Saturday
show they did discuss her assertions. One top military lawyer at Fort
Bragg quoted her letter and said he found Fowler 'very preachy.'

It
was Lt. Gen. James Anderson, as commander of Fort Bragg, who made the
final decision on whether to accept Sinclair's plea offer.

Testifying
from Afghanistan by telephone, Anderson said Monday that he didn't
thoroughly read Fowler's letter. The only thing he weighed in rejecting
the deal was that the accuser wanted her day in court, he said.

But
Anderson's testimony appeared to be contradicted by a December 20th
email he sent to a military lawyer. 'I have read the letter and made my
decision,' Anderson wrote.

Fowler
said last Monday that the courtroom maneuvering over her letter was
'nothing more than an attempt to take the focus off the general's gross
misconduct.'